Which protocol for which machine
Start from the control you have, not from the protocol you like. The control decides what is native, what needs a licence and what needs a gateway.
| Control | Connection paths | Note | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| SINUMERIK 840D sl, 828D or ONE | Native OPC UA with the Access MyMachine /OPC UA licence | Richest data and methods; licence per control | Open → |
| SINUMERIK 840D sl without the licence, or 840D powerline | S7 gateway that serves OPC UA (uaGate 840D, IBH Link UA, dataFEED) | No Siemens runtime licence per Softing; powerline needs an MPI/PROFIBUS adapter | Open → |
| HEIDENHAIN TNC 620, TNC 640 or TNC7 | OPC UA NC Server (options 56–61) or HEIDENHAIN DNC (option 18) | OPC UA is cross-platform; one option per connected application | Open → |
| HEIDENHAIN iTNC 530, TNC 320/128 | HEIDENHAIN DNC (port 19000 on iTNC 530) | No OPC UA NC Server listed for these controls | Open → |
| Any FANUC i-series | FOCAS over Ethernet (TCP 8193), directly or through a FOCAS-to-OPC UA gateway | FOCAS is the native interface; no on-CNC OPC UA server documented | Open → |
| Haas NGC | MTConnect on port 8082 (enable through HFO), or Q-commands via Setting 143 | Native agent on the control | Open → |
| Haas Classic | RS-232 Q-commands via a serial device server; I/O if Setting 143 is missing | No Ethernet data interface | Open → |
| Mazak Smooth | MTConnect on the control (licence file from Mazak) | Mazak's preferred method | Open → |
| Okuma OSP-P | Free Okuma MTConnect agent; THINC API for developers | Free; OPC UA not documented by Okuma | Open → |
| Mitsubishi M8 / M8V | NC Machine Tool Connector (OPC UA + umati model) or MTConnect Adapter on a PC | No OPC UA or MTConnect on the CNC itself | Open → |
| Brother D00 | OPC UA (parameter 0235) | Native server | Open → |
| DMG MORI with CELOS | IoTconnector, or CELOS MTConnect (port 15404) | Builder box covers FANUC, Siemens and HEIDENHAIN underneath | Open → |
| No network interface, or interface locked | Discrete I/O or non-intrusive current sensors | State and counts only, but works on any machine of any age | Open → |
MTConnect · OPC UA · FOCAS · umati · I/O
| MTConnect | OPC UA | FOCAS | umati | I/O | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Direction | Read only | Read, write, methods | Read and write | Read, some methods (per facet) | Read only |
| Data model | Standard machine-tool vocabulary | Depends on the server; standard only with a companion spec | FANUC-specific | Standard machine-tool model (OPC 40501-1) | Whatever you wire |
| Transport | HTTP (agent), SHDR from adapter | OPC UA binary over TCP, usually 4840 | FANUC library over TCP 8193 or HSSB | OPC UA | Digital inputs |
| Security | None built into the protocol: isolate the network | Certificates, signing, encryption, user rights | Network isolation | OPC UA security | Physical |
| Typical cost | Free to paid agent depending on builder | CNC licence (Siemens, HEIDENHAIN) or gateway | FANUC library + driver | Depends on control and server | I/O module and wiring |
Last verified 27 October 2026 against vendor documentation. OPC UA Connect is an educational resource published by TEEPTRAK; it is not affiliated with the OPC Foundation, the MTConnect Institute or any control maker.